Has anyone ever driven a go-kart and said....wow this is soooo boring? When I drive a go-kart I'm thinking....tight turning, high revving and FUN to push to it's limits around the curves. Doesn't this fit the MINI?

When I Youtube commercials for MINI I see a car marketed as fun, corky/cute and all the while getting good gas mileage.

Someone mentioned about the tranny not being as smooth.....true but you want a sporty car to have a transmission that has positive engagement with the gears. If you want a smoother tranny than a family sedan or non-sport car would be better. They are designed for "comfort" and smooth ride.

Just today my dad was thinking of buying my car from me when I'm ready to sell it, lol. As I zip around the corners I tell him....can your Jeep do this?

 

I have to be nice so i don't get another "Infraction" but you saw the marketing that the cooper handled like a go-kart (witch it does) and you still bought it? You must of never of drove a go-kart before? Mini Cooper S's are classified as sport luxury by insurance companies(sucks when your 21) sport and small normally mean that it is going to have stiffer suspension. Like a go cart, great handling, quick, and a slightly rougher ride. The mini does get great gas mileage. But if it says it handles like a go-kart and you buy it because of the classic look. What do you expect?

 

As for 60 year olds loving their go-karts - and I'm almost 55, by the way - I think a big factor there is that we grew up during the era of British and European sports cars that pretty much defined fun, yet affordable, motoring. My family had a '71 MG Midget when I was in high school, and I was smitten to the extent that I own one today. I learned all about the proverbial go-kart handling early on, and it's my preference. Other cars just feel deficient in comparison, but to each his own!

 

How could you seriously mention a Geo Tracker and an HHR in the same category as a MINI? Methinks a MINI just may not be for you.

I remember when the PT Cruiser initially went on the market. It was intended to appeal to Generation X. Instead they were gobbled up by the 40-50 year old Baby Boomers. I think the MINI has done the opposite: it was supposed to be a retro vehicle that would appeal to those that remembered the original MINIs of the Psychedlic Sixties. Instead BMW's "cute" little car turned-out to be a pretty feisty little sports car with go-kart handling. Even though I too am a geezer, I see MINIs as a youth-oriented car. A Z4 would seem to be the kind of car a young college grad would love to drive and lure chicks into. Instead nobody that age can afford one. When is the last time you saw anyone under the age of 50 driving one? It's appeal is to men experiencing mid-life crisises.

If you're looking for a "practical" car, far better to buy an appliance like a Toyota. If I hauled around a lot of sheetrock for home projects, I wouldn't be buying a VW bug.

 

The thread topic suggest the handling, but you also seem to be talking about the gas pedal feel.

In which case keeping the Sport button off makes the Mini a much more laid back, less frenetic experience. Gas pedal almost feels dead . Plus the steering wheel becomes less of a chore.

 

like most everyone else, I like the quirky ride of my MINI. But I also find that driving in sport mode with steptronic, I can make the gear shifting a little smoother. It's nowhere near as fun or as smooth as shifting was when I had my manuals over the last 20 years, but the steptronic does help with the overall smoothness. And I also get to control how high the rpms rev, which is probably better for gas mileage.

 

Exactly what kind of go cart are we talking about?

The kind you rent and putt around in, or something like a 125 shifter cart or a F500? (the last two can absolutely wear you out and almost make you poop your Depends...)


If you are close to 50, guess what? You are the targeted demo. Ok, maybe they are targeting the younger people, but you (we) are the demo that actually buys the car.

It's fun, it's pretty frugal, it's decently quick. It's not fast. (my supercharged M3 is fast...) It's not comfy. It's a short wheel based car with a stiffer suspension, and god awful run flat tires. It can't be comfy...

Oh did I mention it's FUN... It's new, it's got a new car warranty...

 

Great looks, go cart handling, its quick, and I get 42 mpg driving spiritly on two lane roads on the way to work. Lots of room as I am 6'5" tall and room with the back seats down. Handles everything that I am aware of. What more can you ask for?

 

sounds like the automatic is irritating you is what I think...

that's a tough one, 'cause I assume you have already experimented with driving style to see what's possible.

please pardon my ignorance, as I've a manual

if you "featherfoot" the gas within reason - if you are gentle I mean - at what RPM does the car shift into the next highest gear?

I normally shift up by 3,500 rpm if I'm just putting about and conserving gas - does the automatic shift higher than that?

I reckon we both know that "go-kart handling" is a bit of a red herring, as all go-karts I've ever driven had no suspension at all...

cheers,

Charlie

 

Not sure of the validity of the original complainant. It has spurred lots of comments though...

I came to the MINI from a 2000 Suzuki Vitara
which I loved dearly and sometimes still miss. I LOVE the Dread Pirate however and make up reasons to drive him!

 

I am older (67) than most of you here, but I bought my MINI because it is FUN to drive. And yes, I love the "go cart" handling. But Bob, I can't imagine any comparison between a MINI and a Tracker other than they both are four wheeled vehicles.

Oooops. Did I just say "MINI" and "Tracker" in the same sentence? I only hope I can be Forgiven.

 

I laughed a lot reading all these posts!! Referencing the "go-kart" in marketing targets the kid in all of us!! Harkens back to a fun, simpler time. I like mini's marketing, however my absolute fave is "Bend The Rules, Rule The Bends". THAT's what totally describes my Mini's handling capabilities.

2011 BH Clubbie go-kart, and oh, so much more!!!

 

AustinS, I see by your outfit that you're a cowboy too. You've got 2 years on me but I'll bet not the Zig or the Zag.

 

IF you drove a Mini prior to purchasing it, and you didn't like the handling, why did you buy it?
The GO-KART HANDLING thing is more of a marketing ploy. If you've driven an early original Mini, ((I owned a very original 62 Cooper...see my photos) you know there's not much comparison between new and old. They're different cars.
I don't GET your gas mileage issues. If you're driving a stick, just shift below three thousand rpms. I drive an 07 Cooper S, and I routinely get 30-31 in town and 35-36 on the freeway...37 and even better if I set the cruise control on long runs on open road. On top of this mileage, I get all this torque to play with, a six speed gearbox that should be named FUN, and a machine that begs me to find the longest, twistiest two lane road that runs to whatever destination I have in mind. I'd think with a regular Cooper, your mileage would run around 35 in town and 40-42 on the freeway. What's the problem with that? A Toyota Yaris hatchback won't do much better than that, and it's NO FUN to drive, comparatively speaking.
You say what you WOULD buy IF it was made. Hey, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Maybe you should have looked harder before you purchased your Mini, if it's that big a bummer for you.
You also complain about the APPEARANCE of other currently available "mileage" vehicles. I just don't get that. If that's (mileage) so important to you, looks shouldn't mean squat.
I urge you to get off this forum and go to a Toyota dealer. Drive down there in your Mini. Get a test drive in a Toyota Yaris two door hatchback. I'll spoil the drive and tell you that it will be like driving an underpowered/underbraked telephone booth. BUT you will get better gas mileage than even a plain Cooper. Not much more, but a little, and you seem to think that's important. The Yaris is a no fun economy car. I know, my wife owns one. She drove my S one time, and swore she'd never get in it again, because it "absolutely RUINED my Yaris for me". (her words)
I'd like to add that in my younger years I owned and drove the very earliest Go-Karts. I use the caps on that term because that was the first well known company, based in Southern California. They were fun, and for a six foot guy, pretty reminiscent of the 62 Mini Cooper in terms of the BENT KNEE driving position.
You should know that I'm SIXTY SIX years old. I also own a Grinnall Scorpion III (again, see my photos), so my viewpoint on rolling stock is not quite that of most folks.
I DO miss my original 62 Cooper, but it was not much good for more than an hour drive, given the cramped driving position, lack of top speed, etc.
That's all I have to add, mister original poster. I still can't figure out WHY you bothered to post to this group, and I'm now wondering WHY I bothered to respond to you. That's why I don't waste much time on this forum. Hey, the streets are dry, and my Cooper S beckons. Too cold today for the Grinnall Scorpion!
Surfblue

 

When I went for my first test drive in a Mini. The Motoring Advisor took a right turn going 45. That sold me on go-kart handling!!!

 

There's a go-kart place in Denver I'm told that has a pictoral history of go-karting and it makes mention of the MINI. I haven't seen it, but the guy who told me wouldn't just make up a story like that.

In the meantime, here's a Clubman S vs. an actual go-kart (sorry if this has been posted before):

 

I was talking about green ones. 'Specially BRG/W ones.

....Les

 

handling is THE thing that sold me--with one test drive. If driving one doesn't bring a smile I say look elsewhere.

 

The best part, IMHO, is when the guy on the go-kart says, "legally speaking, he's not allowed to kill me . . ." That totally made up for the irritating review that same guy gave at the beginning of the video clip. Thanks for the post, Ween!